EPICUREAN DELIGHT PHOTOGRAPHED BY EMILY HENDERSON
SOOTHE THE SOUL
A Journey of Food COWGIRL PROVISIONS’ OWNER ANNIE PRYOR SHARES HER ARTISTIC TALENT THROUGH HER LOVE OF FOOD WRITTEN BY MICHELLE BANSE STOKES
With inspired dishes like Marry Me Meatloaf and Aunt Sally’s Corn Soup, Cowgirl Provisions entrepreneur chef Annie Pryor has become renowned in the area for her culinary skills. Her high standards have set a new paradigm in Flatonia with Cowgirl Provisions. Pryor’s story is an inspiring one of someone who worked her way up through the trenches to follow her passion for food. Annie, which is her father’s nickname for her, said that she learned life, food, and love of people from him growing up in Bartlesville, Oklahoma. After college, Pryor began in hospitality in New Orleans and then went on to Washington D.C. “I started with humble beginnings,” said Pryor. “I worked for a law firm in Washington, and I started selling sticky buns, apple pies and chocolate cake on the side. That side job quickly turned into a thriving catering business, retail storefront, and over 75 on-call employees. When I first began, I worked in an industrial kitchen commissary. Every Christmas, the facility had a contract for two tons of Chex Party Mix, and they made it in small batches. I’ve never seen so much of the stuff in my whole life. Recently one of my customers asked if I could make him a batch. I made it for him and now people call me all the time now for party mix. I find it hilarious!” One might begin to wonder how this big city chef ended up settling in a small, Texas town like Flatonia. Although she had spent a lot of time building her career in metropolitan areas, all it took
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Annie Pryor, owner and chef at Cowgirl Provisions
